Getting Rid of Moss in Your Lawn

Your lawn's appearance and health can be compromised by an intrusion of moss. The fuzzy green plant can begin to replace your grass. There are methods you can use for successfully removing moss from your lawn. This is a guide about getting rid of moss in your lawn.

Solutions

The invasion of moss in your lawn occurs when you try to grow grass in places that are too shady, too wet, or on very poor soil-conditions that do not support grass. To eliminate moss and prepare the soil for grass, you'll need to change your lawn's growing conditions.

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Start with a Soil Test

The best way to discourage moss is to grow better grass, and to do that you need to create the right conditions. If your lawn has moss, then you probably dealing with underlying soil problems such as compaction, low fertility, acidity, excess moisture, inadequate soil depth or excessive shade. Start with a simple soil test. Your county extension agency can give you more information on how to go about collecting samples and where to send them. Tests are inexpensive (usually around $15) and will give you a wealth of information about your soil, including pH and nutrients levels, as well as recommendations for fixing any problems.

Fixing Common Problems

The fact that the moss is growing in a specific area signals that it's not an ideal environment for growing grass. If you can change the following environmental conditions, you may be able to promote the growth of grass over moss. If you can't, planting a shade-tolerant ground cover may be a better solution.

Compaction. Aerate heavy soils with a mechanical aerator once each year, and give your yard a deep raking in the spring and fall. This will improve drainage by allowing air and water to get down to the roots, as well as lessen compaction.

pH imbalance. Most grasses thrive at a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. Soils with a pH below this may support the growth of moss. A soil test will tell you if you have a pH problem, and give you recommendations on how to correct it. You can also use one of the simple pH test kits sold at garden centers. These kits are less reliable, but they can give you an approximate pH value. If your soil is too acidic, you'll probably need to add some ground limestone to raise the pH. Just make sure you test the soil first, before adding any lime. Many regions throughout the U.S. contain ample (even excess) amounts of lime, and adding too much can harm your existing plants.

Low fertility. Even in sunny locations, moss will thrive if soil fertility is low. Grass won't. Take a look at your soil test. The results should indicate whether or not your lawn lacks nutrients, and if so, what they are. Follow the recommendations and fertilize your lawn regularly to encourage vigorous growth.

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Excessive moisture. Moss thrives in moist conditions. If standing water is a problem in your yard during certain times of the year, try to grade the soil away from susceptible areas to prevent the water from pooling. Rake in 2-inch layer of compost to help increase the soil's ability to absorb moisture.

Inadequate soil depth. The shallow root structure of moss enables it to pioneer in areas with thin topsoil. Grass roots need about 8 inches of soil depth to establish a strong root system. If your topsoil is thin, add an inch or so of topsoil or compost each spring and fall until you feel like you've created enough depth for a good root system to develop.

Excessive shade. If shrubs and trees have overgrown the area where moss is growing, consider pruning some of the lower branches to let in more light and air. Seed the area with a grass variety that doesn't need a lot of sun, such as fine fescues.

Using Moss Killers

If moss is still a problem after trying the above methods, here are some simple homemade recipes to help get rid of it. Although these solutions are considered more environmentally friendly (at least compared to commercial moss killers), they should still be applied with caution as they are capable of killing or injuring the surrounding grass.

Homemade Moss Killer Recipes

Homemade Recipe #1

4 ounces of a liquid dish soap like ivory or dawn

1 gallon of water

Mix together and saturate small areas using a hand sprayer.

Homemade Recipe #2

2 gallons of water

8 ounces of baking soda

Mix together and saturate small areas using a hand sprayer.

Homemade Recipe #3

1 cup antiseptic mouthwash

1 cup chamomile tea

1 cup Murphy's Oil Soap

Use this recipe if you need to kill moss over a large area. Apply with a 20-gallon hose-end sprayer attachment, and repeat every two weeks until the moss dies.

Once the moss is dead (it will lose its color and start drying up), remove it using a heavy garden rake with fixed metal tines. Keep in mind that killing moss is only a temporary solution, so if you want to remove it permanently you will need to correct the soil conditions that allowed it to thrive. After removing the moss, retest your soil, add any necessary amendments, and re-seed the bare areas with a grass mixture suitable for the light conditions.

If All Else Fails, Let it Grow!

If you have tried everything and the moss will simply not retreat, then consider living with it. There's nothing wrong with letting (even encouraging) moss to grow. In fact, there are entire books and websites dedicated solely to the art of moss gardening! As a ground cover, moss has a lush green color, it's velvety on bare feet, and it's virtually maintenance-free. Instead of fighting Mother Nature, try defining the area with large rocks, pieces of driftwood, or interesting statuary. If done right, a moss garden can be a beautiful way to enhance your existing landscape.

Spread some lime over the area to get rid of the moss, or a cheaper method if you have a fireplace is to lightly spread some of the ashes over the area. If you wet it down, it sort of makes the gray disappear, but it gets rid of the moss.

There's no moss killer available where I live (Northern Calif) so I'm using a bow rake and raking it off each weekend. Comes up easy. Also aerated the lawn to make sure water goes where it needs to, and shortened watering to 2 min 3 times a week. We have clay soil.

We have an entire area by a large evergreen that does get sun, but the moss has taken over the grass. I don't want to use chemicals because we have dogs and the kids play out there. As pretty green as it is and the weeds don't grow in it, I would much rather have green grass.

I wish I had your Moss! I let it grow where ever it will. If moss is happy there grass probably won't be and you will wind up with dirt and roots. You can 'scrape' it with a flat edge shovel to remove and then spray with Round Up etc. or vinegar if you don't want to buy expensive weed killer. I would say keep it and let the kids have a soft green carpet to play on.

Moss grows where it is shady and damp. You can kill it with a strong vinegar and water solution and or a bleach, but that will also kill the grass. You may need to trim trees or let the area get more fresh air and sunshine.

I don't know much about moss. I have read that it prefers nutrient depleted soil. It may be that your lawn needs both fertilizer and lime. An inexpensive soil test (contact your county ag agent) can tell you exactly what your lawn needs in the way of nutrients.

Thanks for your non-metalic solution. I am not in Seattle, but have moss in my back garden too. I applied it once. but it didn't kill my moss. At least it didn't kill grass as lawn sand or ferrous sulfate did to my lawn. I think I didn't apply enough. How big is the small area you mentioned about? If my lawn is about 250m2 (about 100sqft), how many gallons of the solution should I use?